CES 2014: Sony Announces the Xperia Z1s Smartphone

At last year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Sony first announced its Xperia Z smartphone. The device was the company’s first serious stab at the high-end smartphone market. Though the hardware was impressive, the Xperia Z and its successors (the Xperia Z1 and the Xperia Z Ultra) failed to catch on in the quickly saturating market.

This week, Sony has chosen CES 2014 as the venue to announce its latest Xperia smartphone, the Xperia Z1s.

The Z1s is nearly identical to the Xperia Z1, featuring a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution display, a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 3,000mAh battery. The phone also has the Z1’s 20.7MP rear camera, though the front-facing camera is only 2MP. Sony’s main marketing point for its Xperia Z line is back in the Z1s, which is waterproof for up to 30 minutes in water up to 4.9 feet deep.

The Z1s will be offered with storage up to 32GB and will come running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, though plenty of Sony software (such as the PlayStation App) will be pre-loaded onto the device. The smartphone will be available exclusively on T-Mobile in the U.S., with pre-ordering starting on January 13 and availability coming January 22. Sony is also running a special deal involving the Z1s in which customers who purchase a Z1s and a PlayStation 4 from January 13 until January 21 will get a $100 VISA gift card.

“As a waterproof smartphone complete with the best of Sony’s technology, Xperia Z1s breaks the mold of not only what you can do with a smartphone, but where you can take it,” said Ravi Nookala, President of Sony Mobile U.S. “Building on the momentum of the successful partnership for the launch of Xperia Z, T-Mobile’s shared vision of delivering an uncompromised mobile experience makes them the perfect exclusive partner to bring Xperia Z1s to the U.S.”